Self-sealing fluid check valves are used in a variety of applications, including, for example, cartridges providing consumable ink to ink jet printers. Such check valves come in various forms such as slit septum valves, duckbill valves, bidirectional valves, disc valves, umbrella valves, and the like. The check valve may be preloaded so as be “normally closed” and require a substantial pressure differential in order to open, or non-preloaded so as to be “normally open” and permit flow in response to essentially any positive pressure differential. Normally open check valves are typically directional check valves, with substantial negative pressure differentials causing the valve to close against continued flow. However, because some force is necessary to make and maintain a fluid-tight seal, low negative pressure differentials may permit a directional, normally open check valve to leak fluid at low flow rates.
Fluid canisters and cartridges having self-sealing fluid check valves may incorporate a barrier membrane or barrier laminate. Changes in relative pressurization due to changes in ambient pressure (pressure swings, particularly those occurring during air transport), rapid acceleration/deceleration during handling (impact stress caused by loading and unloading activities), and changes in relative pressurization due to changes in ambient temperature (temperature swings caused by storage or transport in non-climate controlled conditions) all can create sufficient pressure differentials to cause leakage through the fluid check valve. A barrier membrane or barrier laminate can initially seal the canister or cartridge to prevent the fluid contents from leaking due to the stresses involved in shipping, handling, and storage. Such a barrier can also prevent the fluid contents from becoming contaminated by other elements which might invade the canister or cartridge due to these same effects. However, such barriers are typically manufactured and applied separately from the fluid check valve upon the canister or cartridge, increasing the manufacturing cost. In some products, such barriers must also be manually removed by the end user, potentially requiring the user to locate and manipulate a structure such as a pull-tab in order to detach the barrier and expose the check valve. In other products, such barriers may be positioned behind a fluid check valve and pierced by a probe or needle positioned within a port of the receiving device. Yet that same probe or needle may damage and/or distort the fluid check valve, preventing it from functioning properly upon removal of the canister or cartridge from the receiving device.